In this Book
- Algonquian Spirit: Contemporary Translations of the Algonquian Literatures of North America
- Book
- 2005
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
- Series: Native Literatures of the Americas
summary
When Europeans first arrived on this continent, Algonquian languages were spoken from the northeastern seaboard through the Great Lakes region, across much of Canada, and even in scattered communities of the American West. The rich and varied oral tradition of this Native language family, one of the farthest-flung in North America, comes brilliantly to life in this remarkably broad sampling of Algonquian songs and stories from across the centuries. Ranging from the speech of an early unknown Algonquian to the famous Walam Olum hoax, from retranslations of “classic” stories to texts appearing here for the first time, these are tales written or told by Native storytellers, today as in the past, as well as oratory, oral history, and songs sung to this day.
An essential introduction and captivating guide to Native literary traditions still thriving in many parts of North America, Algonquian Spirit contains vital background information and new translations of songs and stories reaching back to the seventeenth century. Drawing from Arapaho, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Cree, Delaware, Maliseet, Menominee, Meskwaki, Miami-Illinois, Mi'kmaq, Naskapi, Ojibwe, Passamaquoddy, Potawatomi, and Shawnee, the collection gathers a host of respected and talented singers, storytellers, historians, anthropologists, linguists, and tribal educators, both Native and non-Native, from the United States and Canada—all working together to orchestrate a single, complex performance of the Algonquian languages.
Table of Contents
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- Introduction
- pp. xi-xxviii
- 1 East
- The Tale of a Hoax
- pp. 3-41
- Fair Warning
- pp. 42-48
- The Arrival of the Whites
- pp. 49-61
- The Delaware Creation Story
- pp. 62-71
- Two Animal Stories
- pp. 72-83
- Social and Ceremonial Songs
- pp. 84-98
- Traditions of Koluskap, the Culture Hero
- pp. 99-111
- The Great Fire
- pp. 112-118
- 2 Central
- Two Wolverine Stories
- pp. 121-158
- The Origin of War
- pp. 170-184
- That Way We Should Be Walking
- pp. 185-200
- Three Tales
- pp. 201-214
- Louse and Wide Lake
- pp. 215-229
- A Pair of Hero Stories
- pp. 230-246
- Omushkego Legends from Hudson Bay
- pp. 247-291
- Culture-Hero and Trickster Stories
- pp. 292-319
- Winter Stories
- pp. 320-367
- Three Winter Stories
- pp. 368-410
- The Origin of the Spirit Rock
- pp. 411-428
- 3 West
- Ghost Dance Songs
- pp. 448-471
- Three Stories
- pp. 472-494
- The Rolling Head
- pp. 501-510
- Contributors
- pp. 511-522
Additional Information
ISBN
9780803205338
MARC Record
OCLC
62149382
Pages
532
Launched on MUSE
2012-06-08
Language
English
Open Access
No